One Step At A Time
by Lorenoide2000
Summary: Simple every day things between Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. Dramione specially written for my bf Abril.
1. Query

**Author's Note: **Hello again. This is first Dramione (I think) and it's a gift for my best friend Abril who's birthday is today (just like Snape mwahaha). Cliché and fluff are her middle names so I did my best to make her happy.

**Disclaimer:** This characters belong to J. K. Rowling and I'm glad she created them.

* * *

><p>Down, down the snowflake went, dancing slowly in the wind, lazily swaying from one side to another until it landed gently on the tip of the girl's nose.<p>

Wrinkling her face, Hermione unceremoniously shook it off and rubbed her red nose. With a dramatic sigh, she continued to read the massive book she had on her lap. Exams were only a few months away and she hadn't had enough time to study properly, away from all the distractions that came with being one of Harry Potter's best friends. She pulled her scarf tighter around her face and squinted her eyes, trying to read for the third time the same paragraph.

The stone bench where she had decided to sit was freezing, but the courtyard where she was was luckily student-free, and so she couldn't let the opportunity pass to have some decent revision.

"_Inside the snargaluff tree are a number of small pods which, when stabbed, emit wriggling tubers..."_

"I have no idea what I just read" Hermione thought frustrated. She sighed again and turned the page, frowning in concentration as she distractedly chewed the tip of her quill. She crossed her legs and leaned back, placing his hand on the backside of the bench.

Only that someone had already placed a hand there.

Hermione was startled when she felt the hand, and whipped her head to see who the owner of the hand was. Imagine her shock when she saw none other than Draco Malfoy sitting comfortably next to her, immersed in a potions book.

She opened and closed her mouth gobsmacked looking around her and then turning to Malfoy again.

"How...when..." she stammered.

"Please don't stammer, Granger, it makes you look seemingly unattractive" Malfoy told her calmly, not even looking up from his book.

Hermione studied him with narrow eyes. She hadn't even heard him approach, and even less sit down only inches from her. She looked around her and saw a few other empty benches in the snow-covered courtyard, and turned to Malfoy.

"Why are you sitting with me?" she asked suspiciously.

Malfoy snorted and turned a page from his book.

"Don't flatter yourself, mudblood. I'm not sitting with you, _you _are sitting with me"

"Well as I recall, I was here first" Hermione answered with a huff.

"So? You can always leave, you know?" Malfoy said, finally looking up at her with a raised eyebrow, "I don't see your name in this bench either"

Hermione scoffed. Malfoy was mistaken if he thought she would give in so easily. She was determined not to let him think he could stroll nonchalantly and sit on her bench like he owned it.

She pushed her hair so it would fall between them and resumed her studying. She wrote down a few notes. Malfoy adjusted in his seat. She scratched a few things and re-wrote them. Malfoy crossed a leg over his knee. She turned the page. Malfoy mumbled something under his breath. She cleared her throat. Malfoy yawned. She leaned back and placed her hand on the back side of the bench. Malfoy leaned back and placed his hand on hers. She...wait, what?

Hermione peeped through her bushy hair and surely enough, Malfoy had indeed placed his hand on hers. He glanced up at him, but he was still reading his book as if he hadn't noticed. Hermione looked down again and frowned. His hand was rough but warm, not ice cold like she had imagined, and it almost covered all of her petite hand. She hesitantly moved her fingers to see his reaction, but he only sighed and tightened his grip for a second.

"I have to go to the Common Room" she said at last, standing up, I slight blush on her cheeks.

"No one's stopping you" Malfoy said, withdrawing his hand from the bench to turn a page and glancing up at her with a query look on his face.

"I'm not leaving just because you said so" she said, gathering her school books, "Coz I'm not"

"Whatever you say, Granger" he mumbled, engrossed again in his book.


	2. Curiously

"So yeah, I have this impressive rash in my..."

"Ronald, I'm eating right now and I would appreciate it if you did't tell me your awesome story about you and your rash" Hermione scowled at him from across the Gryffindor table.

Ron raised his hands in front of him.

"Hey I wasn't going to be too graphic" he defended.

Harry laughed and Hermione rolled his eyes. Sometimes she really wished she had female friends.

"Oi, Hermione? Would you do me the honor of checking my transfigurations essay?" Harry asked with a smile as he helped himself with some strawberry tart.

"Beware of your charm, Harry, or you might drown in it" Hermione answered sarcastically, "I thought you had it down to a T"

"Well, yeah" he answered sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck, "But it seems what I achieved is actually ways on how _not _ to turn your arms into fins"

"Nice save, mate" Ron said, eyebrows rose in admiration.

Hermione sighed and gave a bite to her own tart.

"Ok, I will revise it tonight, but first I must go to the library".

"Thanks Hermione, your the best" Harry said, "Promise I'll make it up for you"

Ron emptied his plate and was about to take another piece of tart when the dishes disappeared from the table, signifying the end of dinner.

Ron made a disappointed sound.

"I was still hungry" he pouted.

"You're always hungry, Ron" a chorus of people around him said at the same time, and then laughed at his indignant expression.

They stood up and when the trio went out of the Great Hall, Hermione turned to them.

"I'll see you later!" she said, and they said their goodbyes before she headed to the library.

* * *

><p>"Monkshood, monkshood, I'm certain I have heard about it somewhere..." Hermione mumbled as she went through the open books she had in front of her. At last, with a large grin, she pointed at a book and started to read, "<em>Monkshood, also known as aconite or wolfsbane..<em>." she stopped reading and rolled her eyes. Of course, how could she forget. Well, at least that was the last thing she had to look for that night.

With a content sigh, se closed all of the books and returned them to their shelves, grabbed her school bag and went out of the library. It wasn't scandalously late, their were still a few students here and their, but the darkness had already engulfed the castle and she had still a long way ahead of her to Gryffindor Tower.

She hurried through the cold hallways, her feet echoing on the stone floor of the deserted corridors. She could never get used to the enormous size of the castle, and she had to stop in front of the archway of a courtyard to catch her breath. When she had recovered, she looked up and gasped in surprise.

What was Malfoy doing in this part of the castle? She had passed the stairs to the dungeons a while ago so she couldn't understand what was he doing so far from his Common Room, and so she stared at him curiously. He was leaning against the archway across from where she was, his green and silver scarf moving lightly with the wind. His wand was between his fingers and a few strays of hair had fallen into his eyes.

Not noticing she had been staring, she jumped when he turned his head and locked eyes with her. Hermione suddenly couldn't look away and so they stayed like that without speaking. Malfoy stared at her, his face expressionless. Not a sneer, nor a smirk, not even a raised eyebrow. It was a full moon that night, and the light made his elegant futures stand out and his blond hair seem to glow. He just stared at her with his silver gray eyes, and Hermione couldn't help but notice how handsome he was.

"_Handsome? Since when is Ferret Boy handsome?_" a little voice in her head screamed, but she ignored it.

Malfoy suddenly, and if Hermione hadn't been observing so intently she would have lost it, smiled. It was just a tiny movement, but she could see perfectly the sly little smile he had sent her.

_"I smile just for you"_ the little voice in her head said then, and Hermione couldn't do anything but smile back.


	3. Gently

She was in a tizzy, mumbling the names of the plants she had to remember, their properties and where to find them. Her hands couldn't stay still as she fiddled with a loose thread of her scarf, looking up and down trying to remember everything she had studied.

"Relax Hermione, you'll do fine" Harry said reassuringly, "Your the brightest of our year, surely you can pass a simple exam"

"Yeah" Ron told her, "Hey, maybe you can help me with charms"

"Shh, don't talk or I'll lose my train of thought," Hermione told them distractedly.

How could time pass so quickly? It seemed like a few days had past since they started school and now suddenly exams were upon them. She had no excuses now to keep from revising her notes before the holidays started and she hadn't been sleeping well because of all the homework the teachers had assigned them.

"Hermione..." Ron whined.

"Hush I said" Hermione scowled at him.

"Hey guys" Ginny said as she went through the painting of the Fat Lady.

Hermione snarled.

"Is their no way I can be in a nice and quiet place?" she grunted, and stormed out of the Common Room, Harry, Ron and Ginny staring at her retreating figure in surprise.

Hermione stomped through the castle in an attempt to find a quiet place to study, and so her first option was to go to the library. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one who had plans on studying there. Students from all years and Houses were there, and although it wasn't as noisy as the Gryffindor Common Room. The continuous whispers, the scrape of quills against parchment and the turning of pages continued, and as minutes passed, Hermione thought she would go mad. At last, trying not to snap at anyone, she gathered her books and walked to the door before being called by Madame Pince.

"Hermione, dear, whatever is the matter?" she asked kindly but wearily, seeing as Hermione was positively fuming.

"The matter, Madame Pince, is that I can't possibly study with all the bustle going around" Hermione told her crossing her arms.

"Well, naturally, seeing that exams are this afternoon" she said and then frown, "Maybe what you need right now is not a place to study, but a study partner"

"Study partner?" Hermione asked confused.

Madame Pince nodded and turn to look behind Hermione's shoulder.

"Mr Malfoy?" she asked at one of the bookshelves, "Would you be so kind to come here, please?

Out of the aisles between bookshelves came Malfoy, an open book in his hand and a sly confused look on his face.

"Is there a problem, madame?"

"Not at all dear, please come"

Malfoy walked towards her and gave Hermione a nod.

"Miss Granger here has a bit of trouble studying" Madame Pince started, but before Hermione could retort, she continued: "Maybe you could help her go over her notes?"

"I don't need..."Hermione tried to say but she was interrupted by Malfoy.

"Of course I could" he said and the turned to her pointing at the door "Shall we?"

Hermione looked at Madame Pince who smiled encouragingly and at Malfoy again. She nodded and they exited the library. When they were in the hallway, Malfoy grabbed the heavy books she was carrying.

"Thank you" Hermione told him sincerely but feeling a bit strange. Harry and Ron had never done that.

"Don't mention it" he said casually.

Malfoy lead the way to a courtyard and Hermione was surprised to see him sitting on the same bench where they had hold hands. Well, sort of.

"So," Malfoy began rubbing his gloved hands, "obviously you don't need more studying to do"

"But I do!" Hermione told him desperately, "I haven't..."

"You know all their is to know, Granger" he interrupted her rolling his eyes, "Be a little more confident on yourself, will you?"

Hermione sighed and turn her gaze to the ground.

"But what if I forget something?"

Malfoy scoffed and open his mouth to retort but then closed it again.

"Listen," he said instead, "Here's what we're gonna do. I ask and you answer. Yes?"

Hermione squinted her eyes at him.

"Why are you helping me?"

"That's beside the point" he answered with a wave of his hand, "Do you agree?"

She bit her lip and nodded.

"All right."

* * *

><p>Hermione left the classroom and went out to the snowy grounds, a huge smile on her face and with skip to her walk. She tightened her red and gold scarf around her face and neck and giggled happily.<p>

"Someone's in a good mood" a voice said behind her.

Hermione turned around and beamed at Malfoy who was currently walking towards her, his hands on his pockets and his scarf firmly tied around his neck.

"I passed the exam!" she told him excitedly behind her scarf.

"I bet you didn't "just pass"", he said with a snort, "Grade?"

"Outstanding" she said with a huge smile.

"Obviously" he said and then smirked, "Good thing I tutored you"

"Yes, thank you, Malfoy" she said.

Malfoy looked at her surprised and she giggled at him. He then smiled and chuckled at her childish enthusiasm.

"You see? You have nothing to worry about" he told her, "Your the brightest witch of our year"

Hermione smiled and shyly looked down. Blush tinted her cheeks but she was too happy to notice. When she looked up, her eyes widened when she saw Malfoy had taken a step forward and was now inches from her, enough for her to see the blue shades on his grey eyes.

Slowly, Malfoy's hand went up to her face and lowered her scarf. He leaned forward until his lips brushed hers gently before pressing firmly against them. Hermione froze but it wasn't long before she relaxed and kissed him back. His lips were cold but soon became warm and she didn't notice when his arm closed around her hips, pulling her closer. She raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck, their scarfs now tangled between them.


	4. Lovingly

The snow was finally starting to melt outside the Hogwarts' grounds and some of the students were trying to enjoy the rays of Sun that shined in the first days after returning from the winter holidays. The older students lingered under trees near the lake while the younger ones played with the giant squid, who was resting on the shore. It was a perfect, not too cold, sunny day.

"Hermione!" Ron whined and then banged his head on the library table, "It's a perfect and not too cold, sunny day! Can't we just go out for the rest of the evening?"

"Ron, you promised that you and Harry would revise your notes during the holidays," scolded Hermione as she dipped her quill in ink, "however, you didn't, and so now you have to catch up with the schoolwork you so irresponsibly ignored in exchange for loitering"

"But Hermione, holidays are for relaxing, not doing schoolwork!"

"We had weeks of holidays, Ronald. You can't possibly expect me to believe that you didn't find any time to do the little homework the teachers assigned us. So this is your own fault" she scolded him, "and this isn't a treat for me either. I'm only here because I don't want you to fail"

Ron was about to argue but Harry prodded his ribcage.

"Sorry Hermione, we won't do it again" Harry said, giving Ron a significant look.

Hermione rolled her eyes and went back to read the book that laid open in front of her. Suddenly she felt a wave of air and a lock of blond hair brushed against her as the boy leaned over and kissed her cheek lovingly.

"Hello beautiful" Draco murmured and then straighten up, gave a nod in Harry and Ron's direction and went to sit down on the far corner of the library.

Hermione smiled in his direction and blushed while Ron glared at the retreating blond head.

"I still can't understand what did you see in that bloody prat" he said narrowing his eyes.

"Language, Ron" Hermione chided him, not even bothering to explain to him for the eighth time how she a Draco had come to date.

Harry frowned in Draco's direction, his lips pursed in thought.

"I think I'm starting to understand, though," he said, surprising both Hermione and Ron. He turned to them and shrugged, "I mean, 'Mione and Malfoy are the best students in our year. They have that in common, at least. And I suppose he might be a gentleman and all of that"

Hermione was about to thank Harry when he spoke again.

"But then again, he's still an annoying slime ball"

Ron laughed and Hermione huffed.

"I think I'm going to go with him" she said airily as she gathered her books.

"No, Hermione!" Ron and Harry whined.

"You seem to be doing quite nicely at this particular assignments on your own, so by all means, continue. I won't distract you anymore." she said sweetly before heading to where Draco was reading.

When Draco heard the chair in front of him move, he looked up from his book to see Hermione sitting comfortably in his table.

"Have they finally drove you mad?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, " she said calmly while neatly placing her books on the table, "I just wanted to pass sometime with you. I missed you during holidays"

At this she blushed a bit, but Draco smiled and took her hand.

"I missed you too. It's awfully boring staying all alone in the manor. Even ordering the house elves to do whatever you come up with is not fun anymore after sometime"

Hermione narrowed her eyes and even before she opened her mouth to speak, Draco cringed at his slip.

"You shouldn't order those poor elves to do whatever you please, Draco. They are living creatures with feelings and goals"

Draco tried not to snort at the thought of his house elves having any other goal in life than making sure your shoes shined so much you would go blind, but opted to smile at her girlfriend instead.

"Of course they do, love. Sorry" he said kissing her hand.

Hermione shifted in her chair to hide her blush.

"So, what are you reading?" she asked, eyeing the book Draco had in front of him.

He glanced down at the book.

"It's about healing potions" he answered, passing it to her so she could see, "Professor Snape gave it to me"

"Healing potions?" she asked him, reading some passages of the book.

When he didn't answer immediately, she looked up and saw he was staring at the floor.

"Draco?" she asked curious.

He turned to look up at the ceiling and scratched the back of his head, a slight pink tinge coloring his cheeks.

"I kinda want to study to be a Healer" he mumbled.

"Really? That's fantastic!" Hermione told him happily.

"You think so?" he asked smiling, but the frowned, "People always think I'm going to follow my father's footsteps and work at the Ministry"

Hermione then took both of his hands and stared at him intently.

"There are lots of things that differ you from your father, Draco. I'm really glad you want to help people"

Draco looked at her surprised. Help people? He was interested in how healing magic worked or how did the ingredients in healing potions reacted with each other, but he had to admit he'd never actually thought about becoming a Healer to help people.

Draco smiled at her, and Hermione smiled back.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look today, love?" he said tilting his head and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Hermione blushed deeply and giggled.

"You also look good today," she answered and then smirked, "Then again, you always look good. I think you wear more beauty products than me"

Draco scolded at her, mockingly offended.

"I don't see why can't I worry about my appearance. I can't say the same for your moronic friends, though. You should introduce Potter to a brush and comb"

"Are we really gonna stay here and discuss Harry's hair style?" Hermione asked from behind her lashes.

Draco looked at her and the smiled.

"What were you planning on doing?"

Hermione laughed and stood up, offering her hand to Draco.

"You know, Ron?" Hermione called as she and Draco approached the two boys, "You are absolutely right. It is a wonderful day"

Ron beamed.

Hermione continued, "And while me and Draco enjoy the nice weather, I am absolutely convinced that you will finish your work in no time if you put your mind to it"

Ron and Harry dropped their shoulders and protested. Hermione took Draco's hand again and they headed to the doorway.

Before they left, she turned around and smiled warningly at them, "I'll see you in the Common Room, and when I return, I expect to see all of your assignments finished, or else..."

The boys sighed in defeat and grumbling went back to finish their essays.


	5. Innocently

"QUIET" snarled Snape, and every single student stayed still and in silence in the little dingy dungeon.

"Now, " Snape proceeded, slowly walking in front of his desk while his black robes swelled behind him, "that I have the little attention your minuscule brains can handle, I will explain today's class"

As everyone took their textbooks out, Snape flicked his wand and words started to appear in the blackboard.

Draco was sitting in the second row of the classroom, tapping his quill absentmindedly on the desk as he listened to the instructions. Suddenly he felt a light tug in the front of his shirt. He looked down and saw nothing, so he shrugged and returned his attention to the classroom. A moment later, he felt the tug again and he frowned. He looked down and again he saw nothing, but...

"Wait a second..." he thought, "I don't usually let the second button undone"

He buttoned it again and passed a hand through his hair, turning his gaze to the blackboard.

As Snape demonstrated how the final potion should look like, he felt the tug once again. Exasperated, just as he turned to look down again, the third button popped free too. His frown deepened and as soon as he rose his head, puzzled, his eyes locked with Hermione's, who had her hand covering her mouth to stifle her giggles. Draco's eyes widened, but his surprise turned to a smirk and he raised an eyebrow. Hermione looked away innocently and Draco chuckled. He leaned on his chair and put his arms on the desk behind him so Hermione could admire her work on unbuttoning his shirt.

Hermione bit her lip and moved her wand under her desk once more. Another button popped out and Draco winked at her.

"Miss Parkinson, would you be so kind as to come to the front of the class and explain to us how the serum should be brewed" Snape's voice rose, distracting them both from their little game.

"Err...I don't think.."

"Now" Snape said narrowing her eyes at her.

Pansy gulped, and left her place behind Ron, cheeks flushed. Pansy reached the front of the classroom and turned around. As she started babbling nonsense about the potion, Hermione noticed her gaze kept wandering to where Draco was sitting. Draco stretched, and Pansy choked in the middle of a sentence.

"Is there a problem, Miss Parkinson?" Snape said bored.

She sighed and shuffled, "Not at all, sir"

Hermione's eyes widened and she opened her mouth outraged. Pansy was also checking Draco out!

"Hermione, I know she's just saying a bunch of nonsense, but you don't have to look so affronted" Ron teased, but she hadn't listened to him as she waved her wand.

"And so if you, like, put the fluxweed in the cauldron and you mix it five… no six times to the right, yeah, you'll have then..."

"AAGHMMPH"

Everyone turned around when they heard the choking noise to find Draco holding his desk with one hand and the other one on his chest, his shirt tightly buttoned all the way to his neck.

"Mr Malfoy, is everything all aright?" Snape asked frowning.

Draco, his face a bit purple, desperately unbuttoned his shirt's neck and let out a breath.

"I'm fine" he croaked, waving his hand in front of him.

Snape turned around and sighed at Pansy.

"You may return to your seat, Miss Parkinson. And I expect a better explanation in the test"

Pansy pouted as she looked at Draco and went to sit down. Snape took his place once more in front of the class and glared at the students.

"Now that everything was perfectly badly explained by Miss Parkinson, each and every one of you shall do the potion, and I swear that if someone even thinks about doing anything of what Miss Parkinson said, you'll pass the rest of the semester down here in the dungeons scrubbing cauldrons. BEGIN"

As everyone stood up to retrieve instruments and ingredients, Draco whispered in Hermione's ear.

"Jealous, are we?"

"What? She was looking at you like you were a piece of meat" she huffed.

"You were also looking at me that way"

"_I _am aloud" she said petulantly and returned to her place before he could answer.

When all the potions were finished, bottled, labelled and placed in Snape's desk, he addressed the class again.

"For once, none of the cauldrons exploded this time, " he turned to Neville, who lowered his eyes, embarrassed, "and the potions were fairly passable. Does anyone wish to explain why is it that there can be two colours for the same potion?"

Hermione, unsurprisingly, raised her hand.

"No one?" Snape said, not looking at Hermione.

When she started to shift in her chair, Snape sighed loudly.

"Very well, Miss Granger, you may come to the front"

Hermione almost knocked the desk over in her hurry to explain.

"Well, some of you may know some species of animals can relate better too women than men, and vice versa. Such is the case of the unicorns, remember? Well, with some plants, it occurs exactly the same thing. The hellebore that we used in the potion of today's class can react depending on the gender of the brewer. It doesn't mean it will react positively or negatively if it's a guy or a girl brewing the potion, but only will change slightly its strength and colour. In this case, the toxins of the hellebore's root respond to the touch of the brewer. Therefore, if the brewer is male, the serum shall..."

"Oh, will you shut up already, mudblood?" Goyle said from the end of the classroom.

Dead silence followed, Hermione frozen in the middle of her explanation, and several people turning to look at Goyle, Harry and Ron with murderous looks.

Then, one blond head slowly turned around. The sound of the chair scraping against the stone floor contrasted with the silence as Draco stood up and calmly looked up at Goyle.

"What did you just call my girlfriend?" he asked in a low but dangerous voice.

Goyle grunted and was about to answer when he noticed Draco walking slowly towards him. He gulped and raised his hands in front of him.

"Malfoy, I was just kid..."

"Kidding?" Draco interrupted him, leaning over his desk, "Was that what you were going to say? That you were _just _kidding?"

"I.."

"Draco, it doesn't matter.." Hermione tried to say"

"No" Draco said loudly turning to look at her, "It does matter now"

He turned again to face Goyle and took him by the shoulder, looking him straight in the eye.

"I want you to apologize" he ordered.

Goyle made an insulted face.

"I'm not..."

"You _will _apologize to Miss Granger, Goyle" Snape said then, surprising everybody.

Goyle stared at Snape, stood up slowly and suddenly took his wand out, but he wasn't quick enough as someone knocked him out before he could cast any spell.

Draco turned to look for the responsible and saw Harry with his wand still pointing and Goyle. Everyone stood still for a moment until Snape moved.

"Mr Zabini, Mr Finnigan, please take Mr Goyle to the infirmary. He will answer for his actions when he wakes up. You are all dismissed" Snape said unimpressed.

Hermione, still a bit shocked, went for her things, but Draco had her bag already strapped on his shoulder.

"Are you all right?" Draco, Harry and Ron asked in unison, and then looked at each other. Hermione smiled and nodded.

"It's ok, really. I was just surprised he actually said it"

"Well, we all know he's not very brilliant" Ron said as they all went outside the classroom.

"You got that right" Harry said.

"Oh and you have no idea how is to have him as roommate" Draco said rolling his eyes.

Harry made a face.

"I don't want to imagine how must it be"

Hermione laughed.

Ron raised and eyebrow, "Were you imagining it?"

Hermione laughed again, "What? No! I'm just… looking at you three. It makes me happy to see you're starting to get along"

"We're not," the three of them said at the same time, and Hermione smiled.

"I'm hungry" Ron said quickly, "I would kill for a piece if kidney pie right now"

"After potions, food is the last thing I want to think about" Harry answered with a face as the two of them walked away.

Draco passed his arm over Hermione's shoulder, none of them too eager to go to eat either.

"Hey, you have to make up for me for that little scare with the shirt" Draco told her.

"You'll survive" Hermione told him with a smile, but took him by the arm and pulled him into an empty classroom anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there's that. The last chapter! After centuries of negligence, I finally managed to finish this story. So be happy! <strong>


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